I met Marietta in July of 2024 in a memory care community in Marietta, Ohio. Snowy hair, neatly dressed, she was 99 at the time. I asked if she was named after the town or if the town was named after her and she laughed. Marietta told me she once worked in a bridal shop […]
By Kelly de la Rocha, founder of poemRENOVATION I came to the United Church Homes Entrepreneur in Residence program with carefully-cut-out word blocks and a whole lot of questions. I left with knowledge that will pave my path forward. I’m Kelly de la Rocha, a poet, journalist and founder of poemRENOVATION, an arts-based word challenge. […]
Wanda has a smile at least a mile wide. A community member at The Pines United Church Homes assisted living community, she adds brightness to every gathering. I felt lucky to have her attend all three of the poemRENOVATION workshops I held while there as an entrepreneur in residence. During one workshop, she chose a […]
Mable’s hand shook when she tried to move the poemRENOVATION word blocks around on the table. She struggles to keep her head up straight, so it was difficult to read the words, too. But once she teamed up with Kelly de la Rocha, poemRENOVATION’S founder, collaborative wordplay led to levity. They rearranged the words until […]